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Cutting out old practices to tackle HIV

NOZINTOMBI Mbokane (not her real name) broke years of tradition when she took her 13-year-old son to hospital to be circumcised.

"None of the men in my family had ever done it. It was simply not done in our culture," said the 42-year-old siSwati-speaking mother.

A caregiver, Mbokane looks after HIV infected patients in their homes.

Mbokane, of Nhlazatshe in Mpumalanga, said she had heard about the benefits of male medical circumcision through her work.

Studies have shown that male medical circumcision (the removal of the foreskin) cuts the chances of infection by 60 percent.

The foreskin contains cells that are highly receptive to HIV and removing it in some instances reduced the risk of infection.

This, however, excludes traditional circumcision for ritual initiation because only part of the foreskin is removed.

Mbokane said she would explain the benefits to her younger son, now three, when he is older.

"I want him to do it when he is older and is able to withstand the pain. My son missed a few days of school when he had the procedure, but I am glad he did," she said.

Faced with a burden of HIV-Aids, the people of Elukwatini, which is part of Mpumalanga's Gert Sibande District Municipality, are considering male medical circumcision as a means to circumvent the spread of the virus.

At a community health day at Elukwatini Stadium hosted by the MTN Foundation, chief executive of Embhuleni Hospital Mothepana Ralefe encouraged men to be circumcised.

The foundation provided HIV counselling and testing, dental screening and check-ups for lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Ralefe said the hospital had the capacity to perform 10 operations per week but the uptake was slow.

"Since July we haven't reached 50 operations. Last month only eight people came forward to be circumcised and five of them were children under the age of 12," Ralefe said.

Ralefe said male medical circumcision was still foreign to the community.

"It is something that people here are not used to. We need to mobilise traditional leaders to encourage more men to be circumcised."

She said the district had the fourth highest number of HIV prevalence out of 46 district municipalities in South Africa.

Pensioner Maseko Mdanyelwa, 66, said young men should be encouraged to undergo circumcision.

"I would encourage my grandsons to do it if it meant protecting them from HIV. We must be willing to try new things to protect ourselves from HIV and to prevent more people from getting it," he said.

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